Decent Work and the city

Promoting decent work standards is increasingly considered an essential element in policy agendas to achieve more sustainable and inclusive growth. However, the implementation of decent work standards in a fragmented global economic system has proven to be challenging, and there is evidence of widening inequalities and poverty within and across countries linked to disparities in employment standards and conditions. In short international and national policies do not seem to be delivering on decent work and this in turn has reanimated local policy debates, mainly evident in cities and urban areas, about how to tackle issues of precariousness and inequality. Although they are potentially significant in their own right, there is a clear need to scale up, connect and learn from these localised developments.

Through comparative mixed methods research I will explore the different approaches taken to enhancing working conditions in cities and the ways in which a range of actors interact across different geographical spaces to promote fundamental notions of justice, decency and dignity at work. By focusing on six diverse cities around the world - Manchester (UK); Bremen (Germany); Buenos Aries (Argentina); Montreal (CA); New York (USA); and Seoul (South Korea); this project will explore how the type and quality of jobs on offer in different local contexts have direct and indirect effects on wider issues of inequality and social justice, and how different actors respond to issues of labour market exclusion, poverty and insecurity. All of these cities have engaged in decent work initiatives, including local political commitments to tackling low wages and precarious work, and have seen trade union and worker mobilisation around specific issues such as labour rights and workplace democracy.

At a time of continued volatility and uncertainty in the global economy, the current project seeks to both recognise and highlight good practice in respect of improving the quality of work, while also exploring the conditions under which a decent work agenda can be developed and sustained. In this sense, 'Cities' provide a theoretical lens through which to view long-run changes in the global economy and the labour market and to examine closely the 'winners and losers' of greater financial integration and increased capital and labour mobility.

By combining high quality academic research outputs with ongoing impact and knowledge exchange activities, the project seeks to provide both theoretical and practical answers to pressing global concerns around low pay, inequality and insecurity. The UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship represents an excellent opportunity for me to build on my existing research activities and contacts to and to establish a distinct and innovative international research agenda encompassing the global north and south, that has a direct impact on policy and practice.

This project will benefit a wide range of stakeholders, at local, national and international levels, from a range of groups. Analysis has already identified potential partners and beneficiaries across each of the six cities including:

Policy makers
- The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (Manchester)
- Mayor's Office (Buenos Aries, Montreal, New York, Seoul)
- The Parliament of Bremen

Trade unions
- Trades Union Congress, UNISON, and Unite (UK)
- IG Metall, Ver.di (Germany)
- General Confederation of Labour (Argentina)
- Korean Federation of Trade Unions
- Service Employees International Union (US)
- The Canadian Labour Congress

Grassroots campaign groups
- Living Wage Foundation/Citizens UK (UK)
- Fight for $15 coalitions in Montreal and NYC
- Worker Ownership Cooperatives (Buenos Aries)

So far I have established contacts with several national and international trade unions in the UK and Europe, and can access locally based trade unions and employers in each of the six cities through each of the partner institutions, along with worker centres, local campaign groups and NGOs. I have strong policy networks in Greater Manchester and the UK both in the public sector and in the third sector, and can engage with key actors across local government through my existing links with the Local Government Association (LGA). My relationships with the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), the European Public Services Union (EPSU), and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) will provide access and opportunities to engage further with international policy makers, international trade unions such as the ITUC and Uni Global, as well as employers' associations.

This project will ultimately contribute to the UN's sustainable development goals 11 'Sustainable Cities and Communities' and 8 'Decent Work and Economic Growth', and will co-produce important research insights that will benefit stakeholders at local, national and international level. Therefore, in relation to these intended beneficiaries, the impact objectives and benefits are:

1. Creation of a 'Decent Work Index' and a 'Decent Work Toolkit' that enables stakeholders to both benchmark local standards and develop action plans to tackle priority issues
2. Creation of a 'Decent Work Charter' that commits public and private sector organisations to working with trade unions and worker representatives to embed decent minimum standards at work
3. Engage policy makers, employers, unions and workers with the research project to strengthen research and policy partnerships in each of the case study locations
4. Share and influence good practice in respect of progressive interventions and initiatives around decent work at city level
5. Share and influence good practice in the context of successful bottom-up mobilisation of workers and citizens

The research will provide empirically rich insights into the changing nature of work in cities, and robust evaluations of real world successful initiatives around decent work. This will be of benefit to politicians and policy makers at local and national level in terms of developing common standards and coordinated strategies around decent work. The research will also be of benefit to trade unions, NGOs and campaign groups through learning from successful mobilisations and processes of social dialogue in other cities in order to develop and refine local strategies towards decent work issues. The mechanisms of knowledge exchange and co-production running throughout the project will also enable stakeholders to engage with and work collaboratively both within and across cities to build new alliances and networks that strengthen and embed decent work principles.